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Marico — An FMCG Company That Buys D2C Brands and Puts Them on Its Own Distribution

2026.03.26

Article summary

Marico, founded in Mumbai in 1990, is an FMCG company whose MD and CEO is Saugata Gupta (reappointed for April 2026 to March 2028). Its main products are coconut oil brand Parachute and edible oil brand Saffola. It has grown by acquiring D2C brands such as True Elements, Plix, and Beardo and putting them onto its own nationwide distribution network. Consolidated revenue for FY2026 (year ended March 2026) was ₹13,611 crore (1 crore = 10 million rupees), up 25.7% year on year. It has expanded the Saffola brand into oats, honey, peanut butter, mayonnaise, and instant noodles. Because Parachute's profit is exposed to copra prices, there's also an aim to grow revenue sources not tied to that commodity.

This article is based on what we could verify As of September 19, 2026 This page is based on the disclosures and news reports from each company that we were able to confirm as of that date. Amounts in the text follow the notation commonly used in India, with ₹1 crore = 10 million rupees, and yen figures are approximations calculated at a little over 1.7 yen to the rupee. Store counts, funding raised, and results at Indian companies change over short periods, so when making a business decision, please check the latest information in primary sources such as each company's own announcements.

Marico is an FMCG company built around coconut oil brand Parachute and edible oil brand Saffola. In recent years it has grown by acquiring health-focused food D2C brands one after another and putting them onto its own nationwide distribution.

Company profile

Item	Details
Year founded	1990
Headquarters	Mumbai (Maharashtra)
MD & CEO	Saugata Gupta (reappointed for April 2026 to March 2028)
Consolidated revenue	₹13,611 crore (FY2026, year ended March 2026; up 25.7% year on year, about ¥237 billion). FY2025 was ₹10,831 crore
Employees	About 3,300
Listing	Listed on the BSE and NSE
Main brands	Parachute, Saffola, Coco Soul, Set Wet, True Elements, Plix, Beardo

Growing by putting acquired companies onto its distribution

Marico has acquired D2C brands such as True Elements (oats and cereal), Plix (plant-based health food), and Beardo (men's grooming). All of these are brands that started online, with a product and customer base but no ability to get onto retail shelves nationwide.

Marico lends its distribution network to them. It already has a system reaching millions of retail stores through Parachute and Saffola, so putting an acquired brand's products onto it multiplies shelf space at once. Consolidated revenue for FY2026 (year ended March 2026) grew sharply, up 25.7% year on year to ₹13,611 crore, and folding in these acquisitions is a factor behind it.

Its flagship Parachute is a coconut oil, so profit is exposed to copra prices. There's also an aim to raise the share of food and personal-care products as a way to add revenue sources that aren't swung by commodity prices.

How it expands the food category

Saffola was originally sold as a "heart-friendly edible oil" brand, giving it a foundation for a health pitch. From there it has added items ranging from oats and honey to peanut butter, mayonnaise, and instant noodles.

Sharing the brand name makes new items easier to recognize on the shelf. On the other hand, using the same name for everything from oil to food also sets a limit on how far it can be stretched.

Points for Japanese companies

This is worth keeping in mind as an exit for a Japanese brand that started D2C in India and is thinking about what comes next. Once it reaches a certain level of online revenue, getting onto retail shelves nationwide comes down to a choice: build its own sales and distribution, sell to a company like this, or partner and just borrow its distribution.

In categories like oats, granola, and peanut butter, where Japanese makers already have products, Marico is also a direct competitor on the shelf. Its price points are set for India's middle class, not at a level where an imported product can simply sit alongside it.